Rating Summary
“Don't buy something you have to alter in order to make it work!”
- Cons
- Have to modify it before it will work
Kenmore Power Miser 9, 40 gal. Gas Water Heater —
In general, the Sears legacy of service is no longer valid. The hidden installation fees are outrageous. Service engineers are not able to fix a problem that is well documented on the internet blogs - namely that the pilot light goes out and the heater has to be restarted - often more than10 times a day. ( Perhaps this is why they installed the single button restart?) This problem is common and seems to occur with greater frequency when the weather is warm than when it is cold.
The basic problem is that the flame gets starved for oxygen. One needs to let more air in, while preventing flashback. The ceramic combination flashback arrestor / vent is inadequate.
Many people have tried keeping the ceramic vent clean. This is a nightmare to accomplish. A service representative wanted to charge my girlfriend $50 to clean it once, and $75 to have him show her how to do it. One needs to disconnect the gas supply to clean the vent. Many people have replaced the thermocouple several times - with mixed results. Some people advise modifying the ceramic vent.
There is a much simpler fix.
Get some coarse steel wool. Remove the two nuts holding the access panel in place. Loosely stuff about 1/2 inch wide ribbon of the steel wool between the tank housing and the insulation on the access panel. make sure the steel wool is visibile on the outside and inside. Firmly press the access panel and reinstall the nuts. Don't tighten the nuts more than 2 turns.
Viola! If the problem was simply lack of air, you are done. If not, well, then consider the thermocouple.
Kenmore Power Miser 9, 40 gal. Gas Water Heater
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Best Natural Gas
“I'm very happy with my purchase of the Kenmore water heater”
“Heater works perfect..Highly recommended if you have room.”